St. Joseph receives Certification as Redevelopment Ready Community

LANSING, Mich. - For its efforts in establishing a solid foundation to attract private investment and further build on municipal assets, St. Joseph has been awarded the Redevelopment Ready Communities (RRC) certification, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) announced today.

MEDC officially designates the City of St. Joseph as a Certified RRC in Michigan. St. Joseph now joins a distinguished group of 85 Michigan communities from all regions of the state that have qualified as "thoroughly prepared" in their planning and zoning efforts. This designation aims to eliminate traditional barriers and foster opportunities for potential investment. For a complete list of Redevelopment Ready Communities, visit miplace.org.

"Our mission at MEDC is to support Michigan's strong economic momentum and empower communities to establish a strong planning, zoning and economic development foundation," said MEDC SVP of Community Planning & Development Readiness Michele Wildman. "The City of St. Joseph is well-positioned to continue to implement their vision for the future and further improve the quality of life for its residents. We look forward to building upon our relationship with the City of St. Joseph."

As an RRC participant, the City of St. Joseph received a comprehensive assessment that measured current community and economic development practices compared to RRC best practice standards. Communities leverage the RRC toolkit to integrate transparency, predictability, and efficiency into local economic development practices. Certification is a compelling indicator that a community has removed development barriers and streamlined processes to be more competitive and attractive for investment.

"The City of St. Joseph is open for business and is moving forward," said City Manager Emily Hackworth. "We're proud to have our progress recognized with this achievement. It's been a pleasure to work with MEDC, and our partners at Cornerstone Alliance, to become the first RRC Certified community in Berrien County. Most of all, we are thrilled that the City is more welcoming and accessible for businesses, visitors and residents."

As a certified community, St. Joseph will have access to new tools to implement its community development goals as well as ongoing support and technical assistance from the Redevelopment Ready Communities team. Annual check-ins and updates will help ensure the City continues implementing the best practices over time. Certification is active for five years before needing to be renewed.

"We are excited to receive Redevelopment Ready Community Certified status," said Mayor Brook Thomas. "This achievement has been a long time in the making, and I want to recognize the hard work of our city staff in conducting thorough reviews of our ordinances, simplifying our processes, and clarifying information to receive this designation. For some time, when it comes to public and residential development, St. Joseph has had a reputation for complexity and difficult processes. Achieving RRC Certification shows that we are prioritizing removing barriers-for both our residents working on personal projects and businesses who would like to call St. Joseph home."

"The Redevelopment-Ready Communities program has a long-established track record in helping communities large and small across Michigan set themselves up for success," said Andrew Haan, senior vice president for development at Cornerstone Alliance. "The RRC framework provides a path for communities to ensure that they have engaged residents, clear plans, and the right zoning and development processes in place to shepherd plans into action."

About Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state's marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan's economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: FacebookInstagramLinkedIn, and Twitter.